11 May 3 Tips for Creating a Snapchat Sponsored Lens
Ever since Snapchat Lenses rolled out last September, the selfies seem to be endless. Snapchat has been skyrocketing towards success, but lenses now provide a different type of entertainment that appeals to the networks audience of over 100 million daily active users.
This newer feature not only appeals to consumers, but has opened the door for brands looking for new advertising opportunities. As oppose to Snapchat’s other advertising opportunities, lenses allow consumers to engage with brands instead of passively consuming content.
Over the past few months, we’ve seen our share of good examples, bad examples, and of course, the greatest example that set bar high (cough cough, Gatorade) for sponsored lenses. So let’s take a lesson from past brands who have already implemented lenses for tips on how your brand can create the ultimate Snapchat sponsored lens.
Incorporate A Unique Experience
Let’s start with the crème de la crème: Gatorade. While this brand had so many fantastic aspects to their lens, I’d like to focus on one concept in particular: the iconic experience. We’ve seen athletes dump coolers over the head of their respective coaches for over 30 years, and Gatorade took the opportunity to do more than throw their logo on an ad, but give users the opportunity to “experience” this iconic moment. We call this tactic “putting the ‘I’ in content,” which is obviously not literal, but means that brands need to understand why an individual would feel compelled to participate and engage. This people-first approach, complimented by timeliness and humor, helped this campaign win big time.
Give Users a Voice
Many brands have begun to build lenses that let users “pick a side” so to speak. Batman v Superman is one of the most recent brands to successfully accomplish this lens, giving users the opportunity to virtually become the character that they admire most.
Similarly, sports teams have begun using this feature to let fans show their support for local teams. Looking back at the Super Bowl again, the NFL did this while gearing up for the big game, allowing fans all over the country to predict which team would be the champions. Just be sure, as a brand, to not exclude key audiences when making these types of lenses.
Be Relevant or Timely
Now that lenses have been out for over eight months, we’ve not only seen our share of new and exciting lenses, but also those that drift towards the “what on earth was that?” side. While the Totino’s Snapchat lens may have been aligned with the brands somewhat quirky personality, there wasn’t any incentive for users to actually use this lens. It wasn’t a holiday or a product launch and it lacked any relevancy. While it was comical, I’m not sure it was worth the half-million dollars that Totino’s had to dish out for it.
Again, these lenses aren’t even a year old yet, but the possibilities are endless. If your brand is trying to make a big splash on the millennial front, make sure you have a solid strategy before cracking open that piggy bank. A sponsored lens done right will not only get your brand talked about, but provide you with a reaction guaranteed to last more than 24-hours.
